Augustine of Hippo

Augustine of Hippo (13 November 354-28 August 430) was a Roman African Christian theologian and philosopher from Thagaste (Souk Ahras, Algeria). He was the Bishop of Hippo Regius, and among his most important works are The City of God and Confessions.

Biography
Augustine of Hippo was born in Thagaste, Africa, Roman Empire (now Souk Ahras, Algeria) on 13 November 354 to a family of Berber Christians; his father was a Roman pagan named Patricius, while his mother was Saint Monica. In his early years, Augustine was influenced by Manichaeism and Plotinus' philosophy, but he was driven from his mother's table after he came home as a Manichaen. Augustine decided to go to Rome and Milan, where he was convinced to convert to Christianity by the Bishop of Milan, Ambrose, in 386. Augustine's mother died as the two of them returned to Africa, with Monica dying in Ostia. Augustine became a renowned Christian theologian and philosopher, believing that the grace of Christ was indispensable to human freedom. He helped formulate the doctrine of original sin and made seminal contributions to the development of the just war theory. As the Western Roman Empire disintegrated, Augustine developed the concept of the Catholic Church as a spiritual City of God, distinct from the material Earthly City. Augustine became a saint after his death in 430, as the Church adopted many of his views.